La Film Fest: Dog Sweat

I went to the LA Film fest last night. My wife and I saw two great films Tiny Furniture (on the recommendation of editors here at Feministing from their review at SXSW). The other film we saw was the world premiere of Dog Sweat (literal translation is homemade liquor) dealing with the real lives of several Iranian individuals.
The film is an amazing, well crafted piece. It brings to light the down low culture in Iran, along with how female sexual identity is expressed in such a mysoginistic, oppressive society. The plot is not anything we haven’t seen before; but it is the setting and the subtle understanding of the current social, political, and religious climate in Iran that makes it compelling.
The filmmakers stated that they wanted to create a film about real people living in Tehran and show it to a world where the dominant image of Middle Eastern individuals in Western film is either one of extreme exotic spectacle or terrorism.
The filmmakers also pointed out the inevitable hardships they faces while making this film, independent financing, clandestine shooting schedules, protection of the actors (wigs and such). One story the filmmakers told really stuck out: The film was supposed to end with a two day shoot by the sea side. This was changed at the last minute because one of the lead actors’ father found out the type of film she was working on and forbade her from continuing to work on the film. Therefore, in the two hours she had left, they completed the final scene in the movie.
I do hope it gets a wide release and more people start to understand the Iranian culture and how oppressive it is; especially for women.
I love independent films, many are are better crafted (than a lot of big budget blockbusters) and full of subtext and thought provoking dialogue that increases my enjoyment of the film. During the Q&A for Tiny Furniture, the director mentioned that the industry is changing so much that it is becoming increasingly difficult for independent film to make money Therefore, they make the film because they love the story or they have a message to share. It also shows what a film can be without studio control. It is unfortunate that independent films have been pushed to the fringe of media exposure (due to the 6 corporations control over 95% of the industry) to the point that they are difficult to find.
So, I recommend Dog Sweat to anyone going out to the LA film fest this week and please recommend other films that are at the festival Thanks :)

Disclaimer: This post was written by a Feministing Community user and does not necessarily reflect the views of any Feministing columnist, editor, or executive director.

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